Right out of the gate Image Comics’ new series Run Love Kill introduces the element of a clock ticking away, juxtaposed with a woman playing the cello and a woman running for her life. Your heart starts pounding the minute the comic starts even though we have no idea who these characters are, which is fantastic.
The question remains, however: is it good?
Run Love Kill (Image Comics)
The first ten pages of this comic showcase a timer ticking, a woman playing a cello so hard her fingers are bleeding in another location and what appears to be the same woman at a different time evading capture.
It’s a bold way to start a comic and it feels very much like a stinger action sequence to open a TV show. We’re immediately dropped into the world and need to hold on for the ride. It effectively excites the reader and also makes them ask a million questions, many of which aren’t answered, and it caps off with a rather poetic finish. This sequence cuts to our protagonist getting out of bed, being awakened by a similar ticking, and it’s at this point we see a very vivid world and story is about to take place.
Cool cross cutting sequence.
The main story focuses on a girl named Rain who wants to escape from the city of Prygat which is being run by an organization calling themselves Origami. Through this issue we witness Rain use a teleportation device, a Blade Runner meets Minority Report cityscape and poison tipped darts.
Written by Jon Tsuei and Eric Canete, I can’t say the love and kill portions of the story are present in this issue, but there is definitely running. They have set up a rather cool looking world, although we aren’t being told why our protagonist needs to leave so badly. Most of the issue is inside Rain’s head as she narrates for us her point of view. Her story makes sense and effectively sets up her relationship with a guy who works at the teleportation station and the going ons with the person who’s getting her out. I can’t say the opening pages are that enlightening, but they do offer up plenty of questions that should keep readers coming back for more.
By issue’s end I’m not sure Rain has established herself beyond anything we’ve seen before however. She’s a kind and cool woman who just wants out of a crappy system, but can’t. She’s between a rock and a hard place and it’s about to get a heck of a lot more complicated for her. She’s very much an average everyman anyone can relate to, but isn’t all that interesting just yet. More will be revealed though, I’m sure.
The art by Eric Canete is in a style reminiscent of Aeon Flux as characters have longish limbs and angular faces. His attention to detail is fantastic in regards to clothing and setting. The world is clearly well thought out and I imagine there’s a thick making of book ready to go if this book takes off. The establishing shots of the city are simply gorgeous and the teleportation station is well thought out and interesting. The opening sequence is also very well plotted and paced with a cinematic feel that’s gripping and always captivating.
What is this the Crusades!?
Is it Good?
Image Comics has a fresh, new science fiction series on their hands that understands how important pacing is to action and how less is truly more when it comes to story. Recommended.
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